Cream cheese-stuffed cinnamon snowman rolls

Sandra Denneler is a SheKnows Expert who's been making and doing her entire life. Growing up, her favorite book was the 1973 World Book Encyclopedia's Childcraft Volume 11, Make and Do. An art director at Wichita State University, Sandra...

Stuffed and stacked

Here's a wintery twist on the classic cinnamon roll: It's a cinnamon snowman! These upright, cinnamon-filled dinner rolls stack perfectly to make a sweet, mini snowman on your plate. Stuffed with cream cheese and glazed with gooey goodness, they'll bring a smile to any snow day or winter-themed party.

Cream cheese-stuffed cinnamon snowman rolls

Makes 6 snowmen

Ingredients and supplies:

12 Rhodes Frozen White Dinner Rolls (use 2 rolls per snowman)

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons cinnamon, divided

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 can cream cheese frosting

6 (5 inch) wooden skewers (cut larger skewers to the size needed)

Black decorator candies for eyes and buttons

Orange candy for the noses (Airheads or Tootsie Rolls can be formed into a carrot shape)

Directions:

1

Thaw rolls and make filling

Thaw frozen rolls according to package directions.

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar. Set aside.

2

Make snowman bottoms

For the bottom of each snowman, roll 6 dough balls flat with a rolling pin. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle some of the remaining cinnamon and sugar on top of each of the flattened dough circles.

Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture to the center of each circle.

Pinch the bottoms of each dough circle closed to form a ball.

Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a lightweight cloth or tea towel. Let the dough balls rise for approximately 30 minutes.

3

Make snowman middles and tops

To make the middle and top of the snowmen, repeat the process with the remaining 6 dough balls. Divide each ball into two pieces, about 2/3 and 1/3 to make 6 medium and 6 small dough balls. Roll them flat, brush each with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.

Pinch the bottoms of each dough circle closed to form a ball. Place the medium and small dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a lightweight cloth or tea towel. Let the dough balls rise for approximately 30 minutes.

4

Bake rolls

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake each pan of rolls for 12-15 minutes. (To prevent the rolls from browning too much, lightly place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the rolls in the oven after they've baked for about 8 minutes.) Allow the rolls to cool for about 10 minutes.

5

Assemble snowmen

Place wooden skewers into the largest, bottom rolls.

Stack the medium and small rolls on top to form the snowmen.

6

Glaze snowmen

In the microwave, melt a can of cream cheese frosting (approximately 30 seconds). Stir and pour into a squirt bottle. Place one snowman on a plate and begin squeezing the cream cheese frosting on top, rotating the plate as needed to coat the entire thing. This is more of a glaze and doesn't need to completely "frost" the entire snowman.

Using a spatula, place the cinnamon snowman onto a drying rack to drip-dry. Repeat this icing process with the remaining snowmen. The frosting left on the plate can be spooned back into your squirt bottle, reheated and repoured after each one.

7

Add candy eyes and noses

Add candy eyes, buttons and noses to each snowman before the frosting completely hardens.